{"id":4545,"date":"2012-01-26T03:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-01-26T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=4545"},"modified":"2012-01-25T11:47:32","modified_gmt":"2012-01-25T19:47:32","slug":"who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em>This post on craft is the first of many posts by new monthly guest columnist, Kay Keppler, that we\u2019ll be publishing here on the Writer\u2019s Fun Zone<\/strong><\/span>. Today she’ll share with us how to build characters with action and motivation.<\/p>\n

In the months aheads, we\u2019ll be talking about character, plot, setting, scene, structure, and — maybe — grammar. You can contact Kay here or at kaykeppler@yahoo.com to ask questions, suggest topics, or tell her she’s off her rocker. (She let me say that!)<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all been there. You\u2019re reading a novel. The back cover copy — or a friend or coupon or clever marketing strategy — persuaded you to buy it. And now on page 15, you\u2019re stuck with a hero who\u2019s too stupid to live or a heroine you\u2019d cross the street to avoid in real life. What are your options?<\/p>\n

Do what I do: throw that book down the stairs and stomp on it as you head out the door. (Not<\/em> if it\u2019s on an ereader or tablet. That goes without saying.) Your other option: keep that book until it\u2019s the only thing that separates you from a dark and stormy night, and try it again.<\/p>\n

As a writer, though, you don\u2019t want to give your readers heartburn. How do you create characters that readers can empathize with, root for, and — most of all — come back to?<\/p>\n

The first step is to create characters that you<\/em> can empathize with, root for, and come back to.<\/strong><\/span> If you hate sitting down to write every day or if you think your hero is a jerk, trust me — your readers will think so, too.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean that your characters have to be like your Uncle Ned, who took you fishing as a kid and gave you nickels for ice cream. Real life, strictly interpreted, has a way of not translating to the page very well. Just think of most conversations you have with your significant other: the utility bill, the thing your boss said, what\u2019s for dinner. Not exactly the stuff of the next blockbuster thriller.<\/p>\n

Like anybody else, a character is defined by what he does<\/em>. It seems obvious, but if you need an action hero, he has to show action, and not just in the kidnapping scenes. He can watch a football game on TV, but only after he\u2019s done a 10-mile run.<\/p>\n

What else would an action hero do? Take risks, make decisions, right wrongs, and protect the helpless. Show your hero doing these things in big and small ways.<\/p>\n

To be sympathetic, your hero needs some flaws, too. If he\u2019s decisive enough to take charge, he\u2019s probably also at least somewhat obsessed, self-righteous, and obstinate. Be sure to put your characters in situations that show their virtues, as well as their failings.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more to characterization than what<\/em> your people do.<\/p>\n

If your hero takes crazy risks, why<\/em> does he do that? The why of behavior is motive.<\/span><\/strong> Your characters are defined almost as much by why they do something — or mean to do something — as the actual activity.<\/p>\n

To give your characters depth — and tell your readers why they do something — give them a past, a reputation, friends, relations, pets, habits, patterns, hobbies, skills, disabilities, chronic diseases, food allergies and anything else you can think of.<\/p>\n

If your heroine recoils in horror from a plate of homemade cookies, she\u2019ll be more interesting to your readers when you reveal that she\u2019s anorexic or rude or allergic to peanuts. Or maybe she was just terrorized by a gang of goobers in her crib.<\/p>\n

Whatever her motivation, show it to your readers, so they come to understand why your characters are behaving the way they do. That\u2019s the road to empathy.<\/p>\n

Nonfiction, anyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up to now we\u2019ve been talking about writers who focus on fiction, but characterization applies to nonfiction writers in some ways, too. The main character in a nonfiction book is you, the author. You\u2019re the character that needs to be empathetic, someone the reader wants to come back to. Your energy and enthusiasm, your unique personality, and your flair for storytelling will determine whether your book is dusty and dull or thrilling and exciting. If you don\u2019t believe this, look at old New Yorker<\/em> profiles–the ones from the pre-Tina Brown days. Those writers could take topics that seemed like lumps of coal and turn them into diamonds.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you\u2019re writing an academic monograph for which the sole purpose is to get tenure, that monograph had better be as dull as dishwater or you\u2019ll be out on the street sharpening pencils for a living before you can say jumping Jehosaphat.<\/p>\n

Everybody else: you might be writing nonfiction, but you\u2019re telling a story, shaping a narrative, and having a conversation with your reader. If the topic weren\u2019t interesting, you wouldn\u2019t have picked it. So talk<\/em> to your readers so they\u2019ll find it as interesting as you do.<\/p>\n

Remember: what did your characters do, and why.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t sound like much, but it\u2019s everything.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kay Keppler<\/a> is an author (Betting on Hope<\/a>, Loving Lucy<\/a><\/em>) and editor of fiction and nonfiction (Asylum Harbor, Pragmatic Guide to Sass<\/em>) who lives in northern California. More information at\u00a0http:\/\/kaykeppler.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post on craft is the first of several monthly posts by new monthly guest columnist, Kay Keppler, that we\u2019ll be publishing here on the Writer\u2019s Fun Zone. Today she’ll share with us how to build characters with action and motivation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[231,1109,1029,1422,561,1340,1421,1296],"class_list":["post-4545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing-tips","tag-authors","tag-book-editing","tag-character-development","tag-character-motivation","tag-craft","tag-kay-keppler","tag-loving-lucy","tag-writing-fiction"],"yoast_head":"\nWho Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This post on craft is the first of several monthly posts by new monthly guest columnist, Kay Keppler, that we\u2019ll be publishing here on the Writer\u2019s Fun Zone. Today she'll share with us how to build characters with action and motivation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Writer's Fun Zone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Barany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bethbarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Barany\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Barany\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9716e70facf67ac5be22883cfdbc684b\"},\"headline\":\"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":925,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"authors\",\"book editing\",\"character development\",\"character motivation\",\"craft\",\"Kay Keppler\",\"Loving Lucy\",\"writing fiction\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Writing Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/\",\"name\":\"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2012\\\/01\\\/26\\\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Writer's Fun Zone\",\"description\":\"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Beth Barany Productions\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":246,\"caption\":\"Beth Barany Productions\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BethBarany\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/BethBarany\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9716e70facf67ac5be22883cfdbc684b\",\"name\":\"Beth Barany\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Barany\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bethbarany.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bethbarany\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/beth-barany\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone","og_description":"This post on craft is the first of several monthly posts by new monthly guest columnist, Kay Keppler, that we\u2019ll be publishing here on the Writer\u2019s Fun Zone. Today she'll share with us how to build characters with action and motivation.","og_url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/","og_site_name":"Writer's Fun Zone","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","article_published_time":"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Barany","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bethbarany","twitter_site":"@BethBarany","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Barany","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Barany","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9716e70facf67ac5be22883cfdbc684b"},"headline":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation","datePublished":"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/"},"wordCount":925,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg","keywords":["authors","book editing","character development","character motivation","craft","Kay Keppler","Loving Lucy","writing fiction"],"articleSection":["Writing Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/","name":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation · Writer's Fun Zone","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg","datePublished":"2012-01-26T11:00:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Loving_Lucy3.jpg","width":600,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/26\/who-was-that-masked-stranger-build-characters-with-action-and-motivation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Who Was that Masked Stranger? Build Characters with Action and Motivation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","name":"Writer's Fun Zone","description":"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Beth Barany Productions","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","width":1024,"height":246,"caption":"Beth Barany Productions"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/x.com\/BethBarany","http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/BethBarany","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bethbarany\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9716e70facf67ac5be22883cfdbc684b","name":"Beth Barany","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2fb0bef9fd3da8d545d88eab8bead7ebb0c95120246ccc8674f6112cd945a6b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Beth Barany"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bethbarany.com\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bethbarany"],"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/author\/beth-barany\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}